THE ROLE OF TURKISH PERCUSSION IN THE HISTORY AND ...

7. Following their acceptance into the orchestra, Turkish percussion instruments
experienced changes in design that resulted in a less homogeneous, more independent use of
these instruments by composers. With the exception of the Turkish crescent, composers
began to see the bass drum, cymbals, triangle, and tambourine more autonomously.
8. Especially significant are the contributions of Hector Berlioz to the development
and use of percussion instruments by nineteenth-century, twentieth century, and modern-day
percussionists and composers alike. In A Treatise Upon Modern Instrumentation and
Orchestration, Berlioz devotes more space to the discussion of percussion instruments and
their use than any other section of the orchestra. His attack of early nineteenth-century
performance practices including the use of the bass drum only as an accent to mark the strong
beat of each bar, and the playing by a single performer of both the bass drum and cymbals,
helped to create a more aesthetic, less idiomatic perception of these instruments by orchestral
composers. It was Berlioz who suggested conservatory instruction for serious percussionists.
His literary contributions, innovative use of percussion instruments in his own compositions,
and visionary ideas were crucial to the advancement of percussion in the orchestra.
9. The incorporation of Turkish percussion instruments first implemented by
orchestral composers in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth-century is the
foundation from which the modern orchestral percussion section evolved. In the years
following their acceptance, percussion instruments have in many instances become a focal
point of orchestration.
Based on this study, this writer suggests the following topics for future research:
1. Further examination regarding the performance practice of playing the bass drum
and crash cymbals by one performer is an interesting topic for future study.
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